I don't like the format of the playoffs.
16 games of regular season vs a max of 3 playoff games for some teams and only 2 for the others is a joke.
I'd like to see the top 6 teams per conference playing each other and the 2 teams with the max number of pts (3 for a win, 1 for a tie and 0 for a loss) go to the SB. Oh and no more overtime. If the 2 teams are tied, they get 1 point each.
We could have the same pts system during the regular season. No more weak division champs making the playoffs when teams with a higher % don't make it.
This would create 5 weeks of playoffs after a general bye week at the end of the regular season.
The SB would be played at the end of Feb which is not. a bad period IMO.

The League and the owners want to increase the number of games? This is one solution and there will be more $$$ generated.

Whatcha think?

Curtain_of_Steel

01-16-2012, 01:48 PM

Im ok with it as is providing we get the bye. At least we get to week 2 in the playoff, LOL Dollars generated to owners is minimal at best in the grand scheme of things, unless th enetworks anti up more for the extra rounds

I do feel that record should dictate rankings and home field not a division winner. Denver in any world should not have played at home after having an 8-8 season. That should be changed as that is purely by luck, not winning games that they get home field.

Ot games, IMO not because we lost. Each team should get the ball, no matter what. They won;t change it during the reg season as the games run late enough as it is and plays havoc on the TV networks.

truesteelerfan

01-16-2012, 02:03 PM

The only way I forsee the playoff system changing is to add more teams. More teams, equals more games, equals more chances for King Goodell to fine people.

plenewken

01-16-2012, 02:10 PM

Im ok with it as is providing we get the bye. At least we get to week 2 in the playoff, LOL Dollars generated to owners is minimal at best in the grand scheme of things, unless th enetworks anti up more for the extra rounds

I do feel that record should dictate rankings and home field not a division winner. Denver in any world should not have played at home after having an 8-8 season. That should be changed as that is purely by luck, not winning games that they get home field.

Ot games, IMO not because we lost. Each team should get the ball, no matter what. They won;t change it during the reg season as the games run late enough as it is and plays havoc on the TV networks.

The thing is a tie is possible during the regular season so why have a different format for the playoffs? It doesn't make any sense. My position has nothing to do with the Steelers loss to Denver in OT. Using my format, both Denver and the Steelers would have earned 1pt, going into their 2nd game of the playoffs. We'd be 2pts behind the teams having won their 1st game and 1pt ahead of the losers in the 1st game.

plenewken

01-16-2012, 02:17 PM

The only way I forsee the playoff system changing is to add more teams. More teams, equals more games, equals more chances for King Goodell to fine people.

More teams won't mean more games for each team, just more games in total. Say you add 8 teams, that's 4 in the NFC and 4 in the AFC. So now you have 2 more division winners and 2 less wild card teams. Nothing changes in terms of number of games per team, neither during the reg season nor during the playoffs.

Curtain_of_Steel

01-16-2012, 03:29 PM

They have 8-8 teams getting in now, lol. Do we need 7-9 teams some how getting a home game over a 12-4 team?LOL

plenewken

01-16-2012, 03:53 PM

They have 8-8 teams getting in now, lol. Do we need 7-9 teams some how getting a home game over a 12-4 team?LOL

If you use a system of points, 3pts for a win, 1pt for a tie and 0pt for a loss, there's no way a 7-9 team would make it and not a 12-4 team. The first would have 21pts and the second 36pts.
It works in the NHL and you don't see bottom feeders in the playoffs.

MasterOfPuppets

01-16-2012, 03:58 PM

thats the only problem i have with the current format. i don't think a team with less than a 9-7 record should be eligible for the playoffs. division winner or not.

Bill Cowher's Jaw

01-16-2012, 04:05 PM

I think there should be two 6-team divisions in each conference. The two division champions get the first round byes and then there's 4 wildcards that are seeded 3-6 by record and tiebreakers. This would pretty much eliminate the thought of crappy 8-8 or 7-9 division champions.

tanda10506

01-16-2012, 04:13 PM

I'm not for it the points system at all, but the minimum record should be 9-7, division winner or not, that needs to be changed NOW.

Danny136200

01-16-2012, 04:14 PM

I don't like the format of the playoffs.
16 games of regular season vs a max of 3 playoff games for some teams and only 2 for the others is a joke.
I'd like to see the top 6 teams per conference playing each other and the 2 teams with the max number of pts (3 for a win, 1 for a tie and 0 for a loss) go to the SB. Oh and no more overtime. If the 2 teams are tied, they get 1 point each.
We could have the same pts system during the regular season. No more weak division champs making the playoffs when teams with a higher % don't make it.
This would create 5 weeks of playoffs after a general bye week at the end of the regular season.
The SB would be played at the end of Feb which is not. a bad period IMO.

The League and the owners want to increase the number of games? This is one solution and there will be more $$$ generated.

Whatcha think?

This is not the Premier league...

The playoff format is fine.

Danny136200

01-16-2012, 04:15 PM

They have 8-8 teams getting in now, lol. Do we need 7-9 teams some how getting a home game over a 12-4 team?LOL

That happened actually, last year; well an 11-5 team. And that team lost to the 7-9 division champ.

BlaZeQuietly

01-16-2012, 04:16 PM

Agreed. Pitt being 12-4 having to go ON THE ROAD against an 8-8 teams is just wrong. Home field should be based on winning percentage period.. I say let the division winner in reguardless of their record, but please god, like the rams last year and the broncos this year, dont let a 7-9 team or an 8-8 team play a home game and knock off a team like pitt or new orleans, If we were at home this year, or if the saints were at home last year, it would have changed the entire playoff picture because the steelers would have won and so would have the saints, there is no doubt in my mind.

GMU Steeler

01-16-2012, 04:27 PM

Agree- base homefield and seeding based off W/L record. No excuses for our performance in Denver but there's no reason a 12-4 team which is clearly superior to a 8-9 team should have to go on the road. And if the two teams are tied in record then I give it to the team with the division win.

plenewken

01-16-2012, 04:32 PM

thats the only problem i have with the current format. i don't think a team with less than a 9-7 record should be eligible for the playoffs. division winner or not.

It's even worse because the less than a 9-7 record team who happens to be a division winner gets home field advantage over a wild card team with a 12-4 record.
Absolutely ridiculous.

plenewken

01-16-2012, 04:33 PM

Agree- base homefield and seeding based off W/L record. No excuses for our performance in Denver but there's no reason a 12-4 team which is clearly superior to a 8-9 team should have to go on the road. And if the two teams are tied in record then I give it to the team with the division win.

:applaudit:

plenewken

01-16-2012, 04:37 PM

Agreed. Pitt being 12-4 having to go ON THE ROAD against an 8-8 teams is just wrong. Home field should be based on winning percentage period.. I say let the division winner in reguardless of their record, but please god, like the rams last year and the broncos this year, dont let a 7-9 team or an 8-8 team play a home game and knock off a team like pitt or new orleans, If we were at home this year, or if the saints were at home last year, it would have changed the entire playoff picture because the steelers would have won and so would have the saints, there is no doubt in my mind.

Well, we don't know what could have happened but nonetheless, home field advantage should be based strictly on W/L %.

Ricco Suavez

01-16-2012, 05:28 PM

Power shifts from division to division, from year to year. Remember when it was Cowboys, Eagles, and Giants. This year Ravens, Steelers, and Bengals. Next year it could be Colts,Texans, and Titans. Power shifts happen and while some divisions are historically weaker I think you reward a division winner even if they finish 8-8. We had numerous chances to win our division and came up short. The Raiders had chances to win division from the Broncos but did not. I like the current format and i for hope they do not change, but if it means more teams and more money than chances are it will happen.

OX1947

01-16-2012, 05:30 PM

Format is fine, they just need to let the team with the best record, division or not, have home field.

steelfury02

01-17-2012, 10:59 AM

Restructure the NFL in terms of Eastern Conference and Western Conference - go by record, and then PF - afterall - this is a high scoring offensive league now

Not sure it makes a big difference to me. I understand it's not "fair" to be 12-4 and have to go on the road to a division champ that is 8-8. But if you ask any of the Steelers players, they will most likely tell you rule #1 is win your own division first. The Steelers post season was dictated by losing the 2nd game to the Ravens. They would have been in the driver's seat with a much needed bye and the #1 seed. Having lost that, they were relegated to playing a wildcard game on the road with several injured players. Take care of your business and it shouldn't matter ... or be ready to become road warriors.

Ricco Suavez

01-17-2012, 04:24 PM

:Not sure it makes a big difference to me. I understand it's not "fair" to be 12-4 and have to go on the road to a division champ that is 8-8. But if you ask any of the Steelers players, they will most likely tell you rule #1 is win your own division first. The Steelers post season was dictated by losing the 2nd game to the Ravens. They would have been in the driver's seat with a much needed bye and the #1 seed. Having lost that, they were relegated to playing a wildcard game on the road with several injured players. Take care of your business and it shouldn't matter ... or be ready to become road warriors.

:hatsoff: Someone who gets it.

jmike

01-18-2012, 08:26 AM

Not sure it makes a big difference to me. I understand it's not "fair" to be 12-4 and have to go on the road to a division champ that is 8-8. But if you ask any of the Steelers players, they will most likely tell you rule #1 is win your own division first. The Steelers post season was dictated by losing the 2nd game to the Ravens. They would have been in the driver's seat with a much needed bye and the #1 seed. Having lost that, they were relegated to playing a wildcard game on the road with several injured players. Take care of your business and it shouldn't matter ... or be ready to become road warriors.
Very true. Play within the rules that you're given. Don't complain about it. The 2005 Steelers team didn't complain about going on the road. They just worked their asses off. (Not trying to say that the 2005 Steelers team should have had a home game, just providing an example)

therooster45

01-18-2012, 02:15 PM

:I think there should be two 6-team divisions in each conference. The two division champions get the first round byes and then there's 4 wildcards that are seeded 3-6 by record and tiebreakers. This would pretty much eliminate the thought of crappy 8-8 or 7-9 division champions.

what then do we do with the other 8 teams that are now in the league 2 x 6 Equals 12 12 +12 equals 24 we presently have 32 teams in the NFL. :rofl::banging:

plenewken

01-19-2012, 05:45 AM

I think there should be two 6-team divisions in each conference. The two division champions get the first round byes and then there's 4 wildcards that are seeded 3-6 by record and tiebreakers. This would pretty much eliminate the thought of crappy 8-8 or 7-9 division champions.

Two 6 teams divisions in each conference?? That's a total of 24 teams, not 32.

Christian Snyder

01-19-2012, 05:41 PM

The only way I forsee the playoff system changing is to add more teams. More teams, equals more games, equals more chances for King Goodell to fine people. More like Czar Goodell

thats the only problem i have with the current format. i don't think a team with less than a 9-7 record should be eligible for the playoffs. division winner or not. I have often said just this very thing. As it is now, a 6-10 team could go to the playoffs while a 10-6 or 11-5 team doesn't. It's ridiculious. :banging:

We'll probably never see it change though, the NFL loves the fierce rivalries and changing the current system would take away from the inner-division rivalries.

Could be worse, it could be a BCS setup. Don't give Goodell any ideas.:puke:

BetterSteel

01-30-2012, 02:41 PM

I couldn't agree more. I was searching for this on Google and came across this thread so sorry for bumping it up.

But I think the current format sucks because we never get to see some of the best teams against each other and it doesn't really convincingly produce the best teams in the Championship or Super Bowl. The best teams often also go home. There would be nothing wrong with a group format during the divisional week. Each Champion deserves to face the other and test each other against the other champion before playing in the Championship games.

There is nothing exciting about having the best teams 15-1, 13-3, 14-2, get knocked out in the first or second round. There would have been nothing wrong to still see all those other NFC teams playing each other either considering how tight the competition was.

Some players only win 1 playoff game in their career and it's ridiculous. I'd much rather have additional playoff games and either cut some pre-season games or the regular season, then see some of the best teams knocked out and watch Super Bowl blow outs. Two of the most satisfying games this year was between the Saints-49ers and Steelers-Denver. The rest didn't compare. And chances are this Super Bowl will be a blowout as well.

I wouldn't like additional playoff teams. I want additional playoff games between the top teams.

jmike

02-03-2012, 11:23 AM

People wouldn't find the playoffs nearly as exciting if there was a chance to redeem yourself. There's several reasons that viewership for the NFL playoffs far outstrips the viewership of the NBA, NHL, or MLB. All of those sports have a multi-game format where it's usually sorted out that the best team wins (not always, but usually) [also, I don't have any hard numbers, but I'm kind of guessing this is the case].

The first reason is "Any Given Sunday". You can get hot going in to the playoffs and pull off victory after victory. Momentum is HUGE in the NFL and has made for some historically great runs in the past few years (Steelers @ 6 (2005), Giants @ 5 (2007?), Green Bay @ 6 (2011)) and these teams may not have even made it if it were a best of 3 series or a round robin style. This style of win or bye is also what makes March Madness HUGE. Cinderella stories and buzzer beaters and EVERYONE is glued to the set to see if the Cinderella story is going to beat the next higher ranked team! I haven't watched a playoff NHL, NBA, or MLB game that wasn't part of the finals for years.

The other big reason that I can think of is injuries. The more you play, the more you're going to have injuries. This has the reverse effect of finding the best team. Yes, everyone has to deal with injuries and that's part of the game, but throwing more games in front of these guys is only a way to get them more injured and banged up.

Ultimately, I think the playoff format is fine. Does it suck to go on the road? Yeah, is it a fact of life in football? Yes. You don't want to go on the road? Win your division. It makes it exciting and it makes it feel like it means something.